Learning to Appreciate Yourself: A Trip into Brandy's Human Nature
Written: Oct 09 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: interesting vocals, feels like a very personal record, her chemistry with Darkchild
Cons: some filler, will take several listens to truly appreciate, runs together
The Bottom Line: Human isn't her best record but it's an important release of emotions, feelings, and insecurities that she's dealt with. Relatable and warm, it's worthy of a listen.
In all honesty, I didn't know if I'd ever hear a new Brandy song again. After the late 2007 car crash that saw one person pass away, I figured she would hang things up and either focus on acting or taking care of her young daughter. While the case was eventually settled out of court, there was no indication that music was where Brandy's heart was at right now; following up 2005's critically-praised but commercially ignored Afrodisiac was a large task to begin with, in trying to keep pace with her blossoming artistic vision and try to win back what fans she may have alienated with her slight shift in sound. Add in trying to restore a once rather sterling reputation and you have a bit of a conundrum. How exactly would Human, a record that is arguably one of her most important releases yet, sound? The Definition sets the tone for the record, in both theme and sound. With talk of letting go of baggage and being introduced to happy again, it has an obvious personal slant that gives the material that much more meaning. The connection she shares to this (and most of the other) material on the record is quite endearing, only enhanced by the understated production and slow burn melody.Its sonic sister, Warm it Up (With Love) is a little bit looser and gentler, rolling keys and delicate thump housing a lush, effortless vocal. The hook could have been a little stronger and more memorable, but that's not the goal of the record, from what I can tell. Everything on the song does its job, never overshadowing Brandy and molding and shifting to fit her voice.Lead single Right Here (Departed) is intricate in every way; with some of the strongest layering/vocal production on the record, a tight groove that never strays, and an emotionally open hook, it is one of her best singles for how tender and uplifting it is. It has such a glow to it, a sensitive piece of music that will resonate more often than not. If you're going through a tough time, this is the track to listen to to get a little bounce in your step and a smile on your face.
Sleek and modern, Piano Man is a hint at the relationship between Brandy and Rodney Jerkins, someone she reunited with for this release. It's one of those quirky songs that work well, as Jerkins has continually brought out some of the best in Brandy and the honesty is appreciated. The production is a bit bigger and plays a stronger role in this song, lush claps and stuttering drums giving Brandy a pretty dense environment to work with. It's the closest she comes to making a radio-friendly record on the record, strictly in terms of sound, but it's a quality record nonetheless. Long Distance is extremely emotional and pensive, a very visual storytelling song told to someone who's much farther away than they need to be. It's different enough of a listen to where it immediately stands out, let alone for the stripped piano and the explosive hook. This isn't the most complex song in the world, but it's sincere in body and sound, culminating in one of the flat out prettiest sections on the record (the ad libs are genius). Camouflage talks about loving someone despite their scars and being able to see past things that may drive others away. It's a sentiment that has been covered before, but the limber melody and stirring hook are inspirational enough to keep the song fresh. It follows the trend on the record of offering up life lessons that have been learned through the years since her last record; others could use this as an opportunity to be syrupy and condescending, but Brandy uses this as a chance to impart some wisdom.
Human is a song for all the perfectionists out there, myself included. At the end of the day, we're all only human and there's nothing wrong with that. It sounds like a track that could have easily been on Never Say Never (particularly the latter half, though she namechecks Angel in Disguise), though naturally evolved from the sound of a decade gone by. It feels very authentic, the spare snaps and elegant strings saving this from delving into the overcooked Oprah-ready ballad territory it could have went into. A Cappella (Something's Missing) gets major points for me, if only for the creative risk taking. A bare bones production held together by humming/beatboxing, it has such an intriguing quality to it that will warrant repeat listens. With each run through, you notice slightly different details and little quirks that didn't seem to be there earlier; all the while Brandy gives us one of the rawest vocals on the record. Co-written with Natasha Bedingfield, Fall rightfully went on Brandy's record, as her voice does the song a tremendous amount of justice that Bedingfield would not have been able to do. Had it been on Bedingfield's next record, it could have sounded like yet another Unwritten rewrite and faded into cheesy territory. The juxtaposition of extremities is a bit jarring, but once the song settles in, it hits its stride nicely, a positive, powerful way for the record to fade out. It has a lot of ambiguity between being an Umbrella-ish love song and a song that falls in line with the self-discovery and analysis of the rest of the record, walking the line with integrity and poise.
Human may not have lit the charts on fire, but the thing that it helped the most was Brandy's creativity. You can tell that she wasn't exactly pressuring herself to churn out a double platinum record with 3 #1 singles, so the creative juices were flowing and she gets right back in the groove she was in with her last release. This isn't some abstract, from-left-field record, though, of course; it will take some time to really sink its teeth in you but once the record makes its way into your subconscious, it will certainly not let go. With the help of some solid production, mature lyricism, and a voice that cannot be compared to any of her contemporaries, Brandy Norwood is showing that while her reign at the top of the charts may be over (for now), she's still one of the more interesting voices in her genre. I'm looking forward to seeing the type of material that comes from her in the years to come and being exposed to the complex, beautiful human being that we see before us.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.